PHILIP 1. One of the twelve apostles. He was of Bethsaida, the city of An drew and Peter' (John i. 44). He became one of the disciples of John the Baptist, and was in the neighbourhood where John was baptising at the time of our Lord's baptism. Andrew and John, who were also disciples of the Baptist, heard the testimony concerning Jesus which the latter gave, and thenceforth attached themselves to him as the promised Messiah. Through Andrew his brother, Simon (Peter) was brought to Christ ; and as on the next day Philip unhesitatingly accompanied Jesus when called to follow him, it is probable that his townsmen had previously spoken to him of Jesus as the long-expected Saviour (John i. 35-44). Philip was thus the fourth of the apostles who attached themselves to the person of Jesus— of those who left all and followed him.' The first act of Philip was to bring to the Lord Na thanael, who is supposed to have also become an apostle, under the name of Bartholomew ( John i. 45-51). Little more is recorded of Philip in the Scriptures ; but it is remarkable that when Christ beheld the five thousand people whom he after wards fed with five loaves and two fishes, he singled out Philip for the question, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?' It is added, This he said to prove him, for he himself knew what he would do.' Bengel and others suppose that this was because the charge of providing food had been committed to Philip, while Chrysostom and Theodore of Mopsuestia rather suppose it was because this apostle was weak in faith. The answer of Philip agrees well enough with either supposition : Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little' (John vi. 1-7). But it is well to compare this with John xiv. 8, where the inappro priate remark of Philip, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us,' evinces that he experienced, in a degree beyond his brother apostles, the difficulty which they generally felt in raising themselves above the things of sense.
Intermediately, we find recorded the application to Philip of certain Greeks' (proselytes of the gate) at Jerusalem, who wished to be introduced to Jesus, of whom they had heard so much. Know ing that his master was not forward to gratify mere curiosity, Philip was uncertain whether to comply with their wish or not, but first consulted Andrew, who went with him to mention the circumstance to Jesus ( John xii. 21, 22). This incident, although slight, is indicative of character, as we feel sure that some of the other apostles—Peter for instance— would at once have complied with or declined this application on their own responsibility. The sacred history only adds to these facts, that Philip was present with the other apostles at the religious assembly following the Lord's resurrection (Acts i. 13).
The ancient commentators attribute to Philip the request of one of the disciples' to Christ, Suffer me first to go and bury my father' (Matt.
viii. 21 ; Luke ix. 59); but there seems no warrant for this, and it is not likely that it would have been overlooked by John in his account of Philip's call to the apostleship.
The later traditions concerning this apostle are vague and uncertain ; but there is nothing impro bable in the statement that he preached the gospel in Phrygia (Theodoret, in Ps. cxvi. ; Niceph., .Hist. Eccles., ii. 39), and that he met his death at Hierapolis in Syria (Euseb., Hist. Eccles., iii. 31 ; v. 24). The further statement, that Philip was married and had daughters (Euseb., me. s. ; Clem. Alex., Strom., iii. 192 ; Niceph. ii. 44), very pro bably arose from confounding him with Philip the Evangelist (Acts xxi. 8).
2. One of the seven first deacons (Acts vi. 5) ; also called an Evangelist' (xxi. 8), which denotes one of those ministers of the primitive church, who, without being attached to any particular congrega tion, preached the gospel from place to place (Eph. iv. I I ; 2 Tim. iv. 5). Being compelled to leave Jerusalem by the persecution which ensued on Stephen's death, Philip was induced to take refuge in Samaria. He there came to a city where Simon Magus was held in high reverence through the wonders which he wrought. But the substantial and beneficent miracles which were performed by Philip in the name of Jesus drew away their atten tion from the impostor, and prepared their minds for the reception of the gospel. Simon himself seems to have regarded him as in league with some superhuman being, and looking upon baptism as the initiatory rite of a compact through which he might obtain the same powers, he solicited and ob tained baptism from the Evangelist [SimoN MAGUS]. After Peter and John had come to Samaria to complete and carry on the.work which Philip had been the means of commencing, the Evangelist himself was directed by a divine impulse to pro ceed towards Gaza, where he met the treasurer of Candace, queen of Ethiopia [CANDACE ; ETHI OPIA], by whose conversion and baptism he be came the instrument of planting the first seeds of the gospel in Ethiopia (Acts viii. 1-39). Philip then retraced his steps, and after pausing at Azotus, preached the gospel from town to town till he came to Cresarea (ver. 4o). At this place he seems to have settled ; for when Paul was on his last journey to Jerusalem, he and his party were enter tained in the house of Philip, on which occasion it is mentioned that he had four daughters, virgins, who did prophesy' (Acts xxi. 9), or who were endued with the faculty of speaking under divine inspiration, and of predicting future events, together with other supernatural gifts vouchsafed to the primitive Christians, in accordance with the pro phecy in Acts ii. 18. With this fact the Scriptu ral history of Philip closes, and the traditions which refer to his subsequent proceedings are uncertain and conflicting. The Greek martyrologies make him to have been bishop of Tralles, in Lydia ; but the Latins make him end his days in Cxsarea (Acta Sanct. ad 6 Juni) • but in all old accounts Philip the Apostle and Philip the Evangelist are much confounded.
3. Son of Herod the Great, and tetrarch of Ba tamea, Trachonitis, and Auranitis (Luke iii. t) [HERODIAN FAMILY].
4. Called by Josephus Herod, son of Herod the Great, and first husband of Herodias [HERODIAN